Zero no Tsukaima: Saito the Onmyoji
by SeerKing
Summary: Freshly graduated from the Imperial Academy of Onmyoji, Hiiraga Saito decides to take the longer scenic route on his way to his posting. Then, all of a sudden, he is teleported to a strange country ruled by Western Wizards by a small pink haired mage. Saito has one question: What the heck is going on here? Might be put up to M for later chapters.
1. The Adept and the Zero

**Authors Note: Yo. I've decided to upload the first chapter of my ZnT story so I can see what you all think of it.**

**I am actually curious to see how this story will be received, due to 'Saito being summoned with special abilities' stories being fairly common.**

**For those of you who follow my Code Geass Story, have no fear; Chapter 9 will be uploaded on the 18****th****. It would be sooner but I have family obligations to take care of that push my upload date back.**

**Anyway, ONWARDS TO THE FIC!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Zero no Tsukaima (or Familiar of Zero, whichever name you prefer), so don't be suing me.**

"Saito" -Talking

'_Louise_' -Thinking/Telepathy

"_**Explosion!**_" -Spell

**Chapter 1: The Adept and The Zero**

**Cloister of Trials, Academy of ****Onmyōdō, Kyoto, Japan**

"_**Talisman of Fire, come to my aid!**_" Hiiraga Saito shouted as he threw a strip of paper at the human-shaped target across the room from him. As the paper flew from his right hand, his left hand formed a handsign and Saito channelled the exact amount of mana needed for the spell he was about to use.

"_**Hiotoko! (Fire Man!)**_" Saito yelled, completing the spell and activating it. The ink on the Talisman glowed red before it was consumed in a ball of fire. The fire then shifted into the shape of a samurai in full armour with his katana drawn and ready.

The fire-Samurai sped towards the dummy and impacted on it with a great [FOOM] in the centre. Saito sighed in relief as his target burned merrily. Fire element spells were _not_ his forte, so he had been worried that the spell would backfire, which would have been embarrassing.

Not to mention painful.

"That was well done, Apprentice Hiiraga." A voice spoke from behind him.

Saito turned from the sight of his burning target to face his examiner, Tsubaki Kaname. He was dressed in the full regalia of a fully accredited member of the Ministry of Onmyoji: white Shinto robes, blue hakama and a tall black hat.

"Arigatou, Tsubaki-sensei." Saito replied with a small bow. He was dressed in the robes of an Onmyoji Apprentice. His white Shinto robes had three blue stripes on each sleeve, marking him as a third-year apprentice. He wore a black Hakama and had no headgear, showing his short black hair to the world.

Tsubaki shook his head with a small smile. He was quite fond of young Hiiraga and had thus been slightly harsher on him than he should have been when he taught him. This had actually encouraged the young apprentice to try harder and his skill with the Eight Elements, already impressive, had soared to new heights.

Except from fire.

"No, Hiiraga-kun. The simple fact is that fire spells are very difficult for you. We have been unable to determine why that is, but you have nevertheless persevered in your studies and, as proof of your dedication and hard work, that spell just now was executed flawlessly. You have successfully passed the Trial of Fire." Tsubaki said proudly.

Saito flushed in embarrassment at his sensei's praise. Tsubaki was _very_ sparing with his praise, so any praise given was a rare treat.

"[Ahem]" Saito cleared his throat, "So then sensei, are there any further Trials left for me to do?"

Tsubaki's smile grew a little larger. "No, Hiiraga-kun. You have successfully completed the Trials of Light and Darkness." The older man's voice was definitely leaning towards wry amusement now. "Return to the waiting room once you have changed into your spare robes and await a summons from the Grandmaster."

Saito bowed at his sensei and left via the room's only door, to await with bated breath the one thing all teenagers fret about most: Exam results.

**LSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLS**

**2****nd**** Year Classroom, Tristain Academy for Magic, Tristain, Halkaginia**

Louise Françoise 'le Blanc' de La Vallière, youngest daughter of the Duke de La Vallière, sat in her seat, bored, as the teacher at the front of the classroom gave a lecture about a basic application of Earth-based magic - Alchemic transmutation of pebbles into brass.

'_This is ridiculous!_' Louise thought moodily, '_I know the theory of this spell inside and out. Basic transmutation is supposed to be easy, and it is…for everyone _else_! But for me…_'

The pinkette sighed quietly. And yet, whenever _she_ tried to cast even the simplest spell, it blew up in her face. Very literally.

To make matters worse, her spells blew up in _everyone's_ faces!

Louise gnashed her teeth together -_quietly_- in frustration and returned her attention to the lecture, where the teacher, a jovial pleasantly plump woman with brown hair tied into a bun, had just demonstrated the actual spell for this specific transmutation -_**Rem In Yan**_. The pebbles had rattled, glowed and turned into solid brass.

"Now, I would like one of you to attempt this spell." The teacher announced to the classroom at large. She looked around for a moment before indicating Louise, who had picked up her quill and had started jotting down notes about her observations of the spell.

"You, the one taking notes." The teacher declared. Once the class saw who she was talking about, they all burst into chatter, unease written across their faces. "What is your name?"

"Louise Françoise de La Vallière, ma'am." Louise replied as she laid her quill down and stood up from her desk. Malicorne de Grandpre, a stout blond haired boy sitting in the middle of the classroom, raised his hand nervously.

"E-Errr, Miss Chevreuse," Malicorne stammered out, making the teacher look at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, is something the matter?" she asked.

"I-I think it would be better if you chose someone else…" the boy said worriedly.

The entire class, except Louise, nodded in agreement. Louise's eyebrow started twitching in annoyance.

A tall redhead stood up, her impressive cleavage straining the shirt she wore as they jiggled when she moved. "I agree, it's too dangerous to let _her_ do it. Let me try." The girl, Kirche Augusta Frederica Von Anhalt Zerbst, protested stridently.

Louise's eyebrow was now twitching rapidly in pace with her growing anger. Had it been anyone else, the pinkette would have let it pass, but Von Zerbst was the _one_ person that she absolutely could _not_ abide criticism from, as it had been the busty redhead who had given her the thrice-accused moniker that she oh-so despised.

"_Dangerous_?" Miss Chevreuse scoffed with a small laugh, "Nonsense! Simple Alchemy is not dangerous!"

Louise, having had more than enough of being talked about as if she wasn't actually present, ended the debate by stomping down to the teacher's lectern and sending a smouldering glare at Kirche. She then took out her wand, prompting the whole class to take cover.

'_This is a reeeaally bad idea._' Louise thought morosely. She would still try, because she always hoped that maybe, just maybe, the next spell might not go awry.

A couple of minutes later, an explosion of noise and black smoke erupted from the classroom, prompting everyone in the academy to think a single sentence in unison as they rolled their eyes.

'_Louise the Zero strikes again!_'

**SLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSL**

**Audience Chamber, Academy of Onmyōdō, Kyoto Japan**

Hiiraga Saito knelt in the _seiza_ position in the Audience Chamber with his year-mates. They had been summoned about half an hour after the last of their number had completed the Trials of Light and Darkness.

There were only four other Apprentices in his year: Amekage Chizuru, Akagi Ryuunosuke, Honda Kanna and Yotsuba Toru, and they were all just as nervous as Saito was.

Arrayed behind them were the first- and second-year Apprentices, over forty of them, followed by the five years of Initiates.

The Apprentices had blue lines denoting how long they had been an Apprentice on their sleeves.

The Initiates wore a simple black and white kimono with the Yin and Yang symbol of the Ministry of Onmyoji on their right breast. They had a different coloured sash or obi denoting which year they were in.

In front of the graduates stood the Senior Teachers of the Imperial Onmyoji Academy of Mysticism. The Masters of Fire, Ice, Earth and Water stood on one side of the Grandmaster, with the Masters of Wood, Wind, Lightning and Metal stood on his other side.

The Grandmaster of the Academy was a white-haired man with a neatly trimmed handlebar moustache and an elegant goatee, giving him a very distinguished appearance. He stood with his arms crossed in front of him as he dispatched a runner to complete some task or other, his face stern.

Saito was curious as to how he had done in the Trials. The Trials of light and Darkness, the final exam of a student at the Academy, tested the Apprentices on their knowledge, control and power of magic in the four basic elements -Water, Wind, Earth and Fire- as well as the four Dual Elements -Metal, Wood, Lightning and Ice- extensively.

Other subjects tested included _Shikigamijutsu_ (The Art of the Paper Gods), Divination, Fortune Telling, Alchemy, Astrology and Shinto religion.

Saito himself (no false modesty) was proficient in Ice, Wood, Water, Earth and Wind magic. He was alright at Metal and Lightning magic, but his biggest weakness was Fire magic.

Both the Grandmaster and the Academy Fire Master had been left puzzled as to why he couldn't reliably control the magic of Fire. The vast of majority of the time, Saito managed to maintain a tenuous grasp on the mercurial energies of Fire. Occasionally, however, his control slipped and he walked away with burnt robes and singed eyebrows.

Saito was drawn from his internal pondering by the sound of a gong being struck. Almost instantly, the background hum of low pitched chatter from the students ceased and all attention was riveted on the Grandmaster.

The old man cleared his throat and spoke in a hoarse, creaky voice that still somehow managed to boom across the room.

"Attention, Attention. Bring ye attention, students." The Grandmaster spoke the traditional opening phrase of the Graduation Speech. "I welcome you, one and all to the Imperial Academy Graduation Ceremony!"

A small cheer erupted from the crowd of students. It tapered off at a gesture from the slightly smiling Grandmaster.

"Before us," the old man continued, "are five mystics. Five young men and women whose teachers have deemed them both ready and able to partake in the Trials of Light and Darkness."

A small murmur made it's way around the hall before falling silent.

"All five have submitted to the trials and have been tested in their magical ability and knowledge, as well as their knowledge of more mundane knowledge, to the fullest extent. Their examiners shall now announce their findings."

With that, Miyazaki Daisuke, Master of Metal Magic strode forwards and regarded the assembly fore a short moment before focusing on Chizuru.

"Amekage Chizuru, you have shown exceptional skill in the Disciplines of Fire, Earth, Water and Metal magics and competence in the Discipline of Wind magic." he announced with a slight tone of smugness when he mentioned his own Discipline. "You did not show reasonable skill in the remaining three Magics."

He then announced her written examination results, before stepping back into line. The next to step forward was Hasegawa Kagerō, Mistress of Earth.

"Honda Kanna, You have shown a high aptitude for the Disciplines of Water, Wind and Ice and competence in Fire and Earth." Kagerō spoke in a harsh voice that had undertones of weariness and exhaustion, understandable considering she was in her mid-nineties, "You have not shown the requisite skill required in the remaining three Magics."

And so it went, with his classmates receiving scores from their examiners. Yotsuba Toru's examiner, the dourly Master of Wood Kobayashi Kaoru, grumbled that he had only shown competence in the Discipline of Wind, then praised his skill in Divination. Harada Yusei, the Master of Water, declared Akagi Ryuunosuke a prodigy in the use of Fire Magic. He had also scored high in Metal, Lightning and Earth.

Finally, it was Saito's turn as Tsubaki Kaname, Master of Ice, strode forwards. Saito gulped nervously.

"Hiiraga Saito." Tsubaki-sensei said slowly, "You have shown exceptional talent in the Disciplines of Ice, Water, Wind, Earth and Wood. You have also shown reasonable competence in the Disciplines of Metal and Lightning."

Tsubaki paused for a moment before he continued. "Your skill in Fire Magic has always been unpredictable and haphazard, Hiiraga-kun, yet you preformed a low-mid ranked spell almost perfectly during your Trial of Fire. After consultation with the Academy Fire Master and the Grandmaster, you have been deemed skilled enough in the Discipline of Fire to pass. It is however recommended that you maintain the somewhat…_zealous_ training regimen that you currently undergo, in order to maintain your control."

A murmur of disbelief ran around the hall at the Ice Master's words and Saito had no illusions as to why. An abrupt gesture from the Grandmaster silenced the chatter, which allowed Tsubaki-sensei to announce Saito's (admittedly mediocre) academic scores and marginally above-average _Shikigamijutsu_ score.

As Tsubaki rejoined the other teachers, The elderly Grandmaster shuffled forward.

"After some debate, The Masters have concluded unanimously that all five Apprentices are to be elevated to the rank of Junior Adept in the Imperial Ministry of Onmyoji!" He announced with a small smile.

He made no effort to try and quell the cheer that filled the hall at his announcement.

**LSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLS**

**The Room of Louise de la Vallière, Tristain** **Magic Academy**

Louise sat on her bed and glowered at the floor. 'I am _not_ crying, I merely have something in my eyes, that's all!' Is what she would have insisted to anyone who had been present.

Not that anyone was there, or would bother visiting 'The Zero'.

Louise dashed her tears away angrily and thought back to the aftermath of her -latest- magical screw-up. She had not been blamed for it happening, as Miss Chevreuse had been told not to choose her for any magical demonstrations due to the spectacular failures that had happened in the past.

After Old Osmand, the headmaster of the Academy, had once again cautioned her not to use magic around others ('_What am I, a pistol?'_ She thought bitterly) until she didn't blow things up with every spell, she had encountered Kirche, along with two of her friends, Tabitha, a Gallian, and Montmorency Margarita 'La Fère' de Montmorency, as she made her way to her chambers.

Tabitha was a slightly built girl with short blue hair and red-rimmed glasses. She was one of the few girls Louise's age that had a smaller bust than she did. She was very quiet, rarely speaking more words than were necessary to get her point across, and was always reading one book or another. Her mastery of wind and ice magic earned her the runic name 'La Tempête de Neige (The Snowstorm).

Montmorency had long blond hair styled into ringlets. She was an expert when it came to potions, so much so her runic name, La Fère (The Fragrance) alluded to it. Montmorency had a long-term boyfriend, but from what Louise heard, he cheated on her almost religiously. She had often wondered if the blond-haired girl was a sadist as she almost seemed ecstatic whenever she beat her boyfriend up after she discovered his latest girl on the side.

"Yet _another_ trip to detention, Zero?" Kirche had asked archly. She had been on Louise's case from day one because of the rivalry between their families. Things had gotten worse after Louise had shown her magical aptitude or, rather, her lack of thereof.

Louise had, rather calmly, rebuffed the accusation and informed the redhead of the headmaster's ruling on the subject, which had prompted both Kirche and Montmorency to erupt into gales of laughter, followed by more teasing and mocking.

Things had really come to a head when Kirche wondered aloud, "I wonder what kind of Familiar you'll summon tomorrow. Or if you'll even be able to summon one at all!"

_That_ had been the _very_ last straw.

Louise had lost her temper and declared that the spell Summon Servant was the one spell that she had absolute confidence in. In a fit of childish pique, she had _further_ declared that _her_ familiar would far outstrip anything that Kirche or Montmorency could summon. Louise had stomped off, leaving Kirche and Montmorency perturbed and Tabitha indifferent.

'_Of all the things to say, just _why_ did I have to say all that?!_' Louise thought morosely, '_If things go as they usually do tomorrow, Kirche and Montmorency will _never_ let me live it down!_'

Biting her lip, she stood and walked over to her bookcase, which was crammed with various treatises on magical theory and it's application from various countries, although a fair number of them were from Tristain. Running her finger across the spines of the books, Louise smiled crookedly. She had bought all of these in an effort to cast a spell without it blowing up on her.

As of yet, it hadn't worked, but she was convinced that the last few explosions had gotten _somewhat_ smaller. Progress was small, but palpable.

Finding the volume she sought, Louise slid the book from the shelf and sat at her desk. Paging through it, she found the page she was looking for, the Summoning Spell: Summon Servant.

All second years are required to summon a familiar in order to advance to the next stage in their training. In addition, the type of familiar summoned usually confirmed the Summoner's primary element and thus the element they should focus on learning first.

For those, like Louise, who had no clue as to her primary magic affinity, the Summon Servant spell would confirm it beyond all doubt.

Louise had memorised the spell weeks ago and she was surprised at how simple it was, considering what the spell did. 'Summon Servant' reached across the world and brought forth the one being that was the most suited for the Mage performing the summoning, and bound them together for life.

"Right then." Louise muttered as she bent over the spell book intently. She would _not_ accept failure, not this time. She would study the spell down to its basic framework and in all its forms. Each of the four countries of Halkaginia had their own variant of the summoning spell, but the change in wording was mostly superficial and didn't affect the basic spell structure to any serious degree.

Instead, the variant seemed to act like a signal, designed to draw the being that was being summoned to the country of the spell's origin. Louise would have to use the Tristain standard version, but she reasoned that there was no harm in comparing all four versions.

Just in case.

The young Mage focused on the book intently as the candles burned cheerily, in contrast with the sole occupant's mood of grim determination.

**SLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSL**

**Cloister of Rituals, Academy of Onmyōdō, Kyoto, Japan**

Saito stood in the centre of the Cloister of Rituals gazing around avidly at the intricately carved woodwork that most of the Cloister was covered by. It wasn't for mere decoration however. Each carving was the anchor for spells of various kinds.

Charms to draw good luck, barrier spells and charms against evil were the ones Saito could recognise. Some were so elaborate and powerful he couldn't begin to guess their nature. The sheer number of carvings staggered him.

'_There must be thousands of carvings here!_' Saito thought in awe, "_And each one anchors a spell, charm or ward! And the entire damn room is covered in carvings, even the floor and ceiling!_"

Saito took a moment to once again view the carvings before he strode to the centre of the room, where the carvings formed an elaborate Yin and Yang. Saito assumed the _seiza_ position and smoothed down his new robes.

His new, _Junior Adept_,robes.

A Junior Adept was the lowest rank in the Ministry's hierarchy. They were generally assistants, clerks and general workhorses for the more senior ranks. All ranks in the Ministry were shown by an enchanted pendant that had the _Seiman_ (Seal of Abe no Seimei) carved into it.

The pendant changed colour depending on a persons rank. A Junior Adept was signified by a pale jade, which would shift to a deep jade upon promotion to a Senior Adept. At that point, the wearer would have to consider in which direction their career (and magical studies) would go.

Saito hadn't though of which direction his career would take yet, but he knew that it would not have anything to do with divination or fortune-telling. He had always been somewhat suspicious of such woolly arts and had never had any degree of success in them.

Saito was drawn from his musings by the scent of sandalwood as it tickled his nose. Tsubaki-sensei had lit the braziers in the four cardinal directions and thrown some of the scented wood in, knowing it was a favourite of Saito's.

"Hiiraga-kun, you have up to twelve hours to complete the ceremony. You may only leave before that time if the Cloister's wards detect that you have completed the task set." Tsubaki-sensei told him, his face blank and emotionless as his position required.

With a sharp nod and a hand gesture Saito recognised as 'good luck', Tsubaki-sensei strode out of the Cloister, the doors sliding shut with a hiss behind him. A sudden '_hum_' let Saito know that the Wardsmen had activated the Sealing Barriers, which prevented anyone and anything from entering or leaving the Cloister until a set of prerequisites had been fulfilled.

Saito took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and then released it.

It was time.

He got up, reached into his sleeve and withdrew eight talismans, each one with a different symbol on the centre. He selected the uppermost talisman that was marked with the symbol '氷' and closed his eyes. Reaching within himself, he grasped a slender tendril of mana and carefully imbued the talisman he held in his hand with it.

The new Adept threw the talisman into the air before him and ran through a swift and precise series of one handed hand signs before he spoke.

"_Hyō_ (Ice)"

Immediately, the talisman glowed a pale blue and began to hover in mid air in front of him. Saito repeated the process for each talisman, speaking a different element each time as well as a different series of handsigns. The talismans then glowed an individual colour for their element.

"_Moku_ (Wood)" A light brown glow.

"_Tsuchi_ (Earth)" A dark brown glow.

"_Kaze_ (Wind)" A pale cream glow.

"_Kin_ (Metal)" A light grey glow.

"_Ikazuchi_ (Lightning)" A bright yellow glow.

"_Hi _(Fire)" A pale red glow.

As Saito added more talismans, they formed into a circle before him. Once he had added the final talisman, Saito ran through a series of double handed handsigns.

"_**Hachi **__**Yōso**__** no Kagami**_! _**(Mirror of the Eight Elements!)**_" Saito commanded as he completed the last handsign.

The glow around each talisman changed to green and the circle of talismans began to rotate clockwise, slowly at first, then it gathered speed.

Saito sighed with relief as he saw this happen. He had set the stage for the Rite of Summoning.

Every Onmyoji had a pair of familiars, commonly referred to as 'Demons', although the types of beings summoned by the Rite were fairly many and varied.

Each Familiar had a specific role. The 'Superior Demon' was usually an attack-oriented being, being physically imposing or magically powerful, whereas a 'Protective Demon' rarely left the side of it's master and was defensive in nature.

The Cloister of Rituals was where these beings had been contracted by every graduate of the Academy since it's founding in the Heian Era over a thousand years ago.

The Rite of Summoning searches the world for beings suited for the roles, then it chooses a being for each that is possibly compatible with the Adept performing the Rite and creates an image of the being in the Cloister.

One the images are summoned, the Adept negotiates and bargains with the beings, to from a working relationship. If one or both beings are disagreeable to working with either the Adept or the other being, the Rite automatically searches for a new candidate. This process continues until the adept has a team that can work with him, as well as each other.

Once the beings agree, the Adept receives tattoos, one on each arm, that connect them to their familiars. Likewise, the familiars receive a tattoo one their bodies that connect them to their master. These tattoos allow the Adept to call forth their familiars and maintain a two-way telepathic link between the Adept and his familiars.

Very, _very_ rarely, the negotiations necessitate the physical manifestation of one of the familiar candidates into the Cloister itself. The reasons could be for an exchange of blood, a magically binding oath or even just for confirmation that the Adept is who he looks like. The wards on the Cloister are for precisely this sort of instance, preventing the otherworldly beings from possessing, maiming or otherwise harming the Adept in any way, although they had only been necessary once, about 400 years ago.

Saito massaged his temples as he decided to begin the Rite at once. In the Scroll of Summoning (which was in serious need of an overhaul, in Saito's opinion), it was recommended that the Adept performing the Rite fast before entering the Cloister and meditate for a time on their best qualities, for the negotiations. Saito preferred to be upfront and honest about who he was to people in general and he had decided long ago to do the same with his perspective familiars.

Besides, no-one fasted these days.

Locking his hands into an intricately shaped handsign, Saito began chanting in Ancient Japanese, invoking the Spirits of the Chamber and the Protection of the Gods upon the endeavour he was about to undertake and so on and so forth.

Slowly and carefully shifting to another handsign, Saito cautiously sent a trickle of mana towards the steadily rotating wheel of talismans and imbued them it the magical energy. Seeing no destabilisation, Saito gradually increased the amount until a steady stream of mana flowed from him to the talismans. The volume and cadence of his chanting grew apace with his mana transfer.

As he came to the end of his chant, he went through eight deliberate and precise handsigns that were accompanied by eight words to seal and complete the spell.

"_**Rin, pyo, toh, ka, sha, retsu, zai, ZEN!**_"

A flash of green light temporarily blinded him as he felt the mana streams connecting him to the talismans before him wither and collapse. Once he could see again, he could see that the spinning wheel before him had sped up to the point that he couldn't distinguish the individual talismans.

Slowly, the wheel began to separate into two separate wheels, which made Saito raise an eyebrow in surprise. _That_ wasn't supposed to happen until two beings had been located, which took at _least_ half an hour at the bare minimum. How had it located two beings compatible with him in less than two minutes time?

Saito watched as the two circles of spinning light fully separated from each other. He flinched and shielded his eyes as a searing white light appeared in the centre of both rings.

Gradually, the light dimmed and faded to the point that Saito could safely uncover his eyes, so, taking a deep breath, he did so.

Hiiraga Saito looked into the mirrors of light that revealed to him his prospective Familiars and gulped loudly.

**SLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSL**

**Next Chapter: The Mage and the Mystic Meet.**


	2. The Mage and The Mystic Meet

**Author's Note: I have had a few complaints about not using the Godai. That will be explained in this chapter.**

**Also, I will simply call Saito's power 'magic', previously called mana.**

**Disclaimer: Familiar of Zero does not belong to me. It belongs to Noboru Yamaguchi and Nana Mochizuki.**

"Saito" -Talking

'_Louise_' -Thinking/Telepathy

"_**Explosion!**_" -Spell

**Chapter 2: The Mage and the Mystic Meet.**

**Entrance Hall, Imperial Academy of Onmyōdō**

Hiiraga Saito, with a great act of willpower, once again resisted the urge to reach under his coat sleeves and scratch his under-forearms. He knew that despite the fact, it would temporarily alleviate the mind-gnawingly irritating itching sensation; the act of scratching his new Familiar Tattoos would only extend the amount of time that they would itch for.

"Frustrating, isn't it?" Tsubaki asked a slight tone of amusement in his voice. Saito grinned a bit as he nodded.

"My advice would be to preoccupy your mind." Tsubaki said, a small smile darting across his face, "The more you are aware of it, the more it itches."

"Arigato, Tsubaki-sensei." Saito said with a small bow.

"Saito-kun, you are no longer my student. If you must call me by an honorific, call me -sempai." Tsubaki said firmly.

"H-Hai…" Saito said nervously. Everyone had been treating him with a weird kind of respect since he emerged from the Cloister of Rituals. In the entire history of the Ministry of Onmyoji, the fastest anyone had ever contracted with both familiars had been six hours.

Saito had completed his Rite in two hours.

"Do you have your assignment yet?" Tsubaki enquired.

"Um…yes." Saito fished out the paper that had his first assignment on it. "Ah, here we are! I'm being assigned to the Yoshida Jinja (Yoshida Shrine)."

Tsubaki raised an eyebrow. "You're being sent to a second-rank kampeisha shrine for your first assignment? One within the Old Capital even? Impressive."

Saito shrugged. "It's a big responsibility." Which it was. There were seven ranks of 'official' Shinto Shrines. At the bottom was the three Kokuheisha (National Shrines) of the Third, Second and First Ranks in ascending order. Above those were the Kampeisha (Imperial Shrine) of the Other, Third, Second and First Ranks in ascending order. Most fresh graduates of the Academy were sent to a kokuheisha shrine of the Third Rank and worked their way up the ranks to the kampeisha. The very fact that Saito was being sent straight to the kampeisha, and the second rank on top of that, meant that either the Grandmaster, who recommended graduates to the various temples and shrines, had a lot of faith in him, or someone had specifically requested him.

More curiously, Kyoto was a privileged assignment that carried a lot of prestige, power and responsibility. Only those who were trusted implicitly by the upper echelons of the Ministry were ever allowed back in Kyoto after graduation.

Saito did not know the Grandmaster that well, other than the occasional talk during one of the examinations to attempt to discover why his control of Fire magic was so tenuous. Moreover, he didn't know anyone in the Ministry at all, aside from the staff at the Academy. Saito was an orphan, tested for magic at a young age and whisked away to the Academy without a trace being left behind that he had even existed, so why he had received this assignment boggled him to no end.

He and Tsubaki-Sen- no, Tsubaki-_sempai_, damn it, were standing in the entrance hall of the Academy, which was the only room in the entire Academy that was modern. It had metal girders, concrete, plaster and wallpaper.

It even had air conditioning.

Saito was dressed in what a normal fifteen year old would wear: blue trousers, a white t-shirt, a blue and white jacket and white shoes. He had a backpack slung over his shoulder that held all of his Onmyoji equipment and freshly issued paraphernalia.

"Now, Saito-kun, before you leave I must warn you to be on your guard." Tsubaki-sempai said seriously, "There have been reports of Black Star agents sighted in Kyoto."

Saito stiffened. Black Star or to give the organisations full name, Heichi Kuroboshi (Juxtaposed Black Star), was a thorn in the side of the Ministry and had been for almost a thousand years. They had been founded by Abe no Seimei's rival, Ashiya Doman, after the man was defeated for the sixth time by Seimei. They sought to supplant the Ministry of Onmyōdō and were willing to do just about anything to accomplish that goal.

Black Star was often rumoured to have a debased version of the Rite of Summoning that captured beings rather than merely contact them. The Black Star operatives would then break the beings and enslave them. Fortunately, the Black Star's Rite of Entrapment (as it was called) was noticeably different from the Onmyoji Rite of Summoning from the perspective of the beings it sought out, so usually only weaker beings were trapped by it.

Saito shuddered slightly. The Black Stars were the antithesis of the Ministry of Onmyoji. The rumour of what a Black Star agent would do to a captured Onmyoji was….too repugnant to think about right now.

"Thank you for the warning." Saito muttered to Tsubaki quietly. His former teacher just nodded back, his face grim.

"Oh!" Tsubaki's eyes widened and he pulled out a small blue rectangle that was slightly larger than his hand and passed it to Saito. "I almost forgot to give you your Teimei (Imperial Order). This will grant you access into the Shrine you are going to, but will then dissolve into ash."

"Arigato." Saito said as he tucked the important piece of paper safely into his jacket's inner pocket, and then looked at the clock. It was a quarter to eleven. "I should get going. I have to be at Yoshida Shrine by two o'clock."

"Ah, indeed." Tsubaki nodded judiciously. "I will empower the Seiman for you."

Saito nodded. "I'll visualise the destination coordinates."

With that, they entered the Room of the Altar of Transport. It sounded like more than it actually was. An altar brings to mind a raised dais and holy icons, of which there were none in the room. Instead, there were five pillars; each coloured one of the original elements used by Abe no Seimei, the Godai (Great Five). The creation of the Academy had been the last time that magic had been used for a grand project, as the fifth element, Kū (Void) had mysteriously vanished.

It hadn't disappeared all at once. After Abe no Seimei had died, the element had stayed strong for another two centuries, during which time the current Academy building had been built. Then, it started gradually weakening until, five centuries after Abe no Seimei's death, the Kū element had simply vanished, sending both the Ministry and the Black Stars into a panic.

After some hurried investigation, it was discovered that some_one_ or some_thing_ was siphoning the entirety of the Kū element away from Japan. Studies in the modern era determined that the Kū element was being siphoned _from the entirety of the planet_, to some untraceable location.

Certainly not a location on this planet anyway.

As there was nothing they could do (Apparently the only way to retrieve the stolen magic was _with_ the stolen magic. '_How useless is that?_' Saito had thought to himself when he found that titbit in the Archives) the mystics of Japan had borrowed heavily from the continent, mostly China, to replace the previously ubiquitous Kū element. Of course, this had meant adopting some of the philosophical elements of Wu Xing and Feng Shui into their own magic, but both the Ministry and the Black Stars had maintained the usual pragmatism in regards to religion and nothing had come of it, so it fell to the backs of everyone's mind.

Saito walked to the centre of the room and stood waiting. Tsubaki in turn walked onto the small Seiman design on the floor and ran through a series of handsigns.

"_**Ten no Ten-za, Ikikaeru! (Heavenly Translocator, come back to life!)**_" Tsubaki commanded. Beneath him, the Seiman glowed blue with the power of his magic.

At the same time, a small Seiman appeared in red around Saito, who clapped his hands twice and spoke a command as he focussed on his destination.

"Tensō! (Transfer!)" He ordered. Acting on his will, the magic plucked the location he wanted to appear at from his mind and then flowed into the spells laid into the five pillars, which also began glowing in their respective colours, except the pillar representing Kū.

In a flash of light, Saito was gone from the Academy.

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**Courtyard, Tristain Academy for Magic, Halkaginia**

A crowd of second year students stood with their wands out and awaited their turn to perform the summoning spell. Approximately half of their number had already summoned their Familiars.

Guiche, Montmorency's boyfriend, had summoned an Earth mole he proudly named Verðandi. It was quite suited for him, because his primary element was earth and he was skilled in Earth magic to the point his runic name was 'la médaille de bronze' (The Bronze).

Kirche, to Louise's irritation, had summoned a Fire Salamander she named Flame. Again, it was suited for her; because of her runic name 'l'ardent' (The Ardent) and her primary affinity was Fire magic.

Montmorency had summoned a frog. Yes. An orange frog. She called Robin. Her primary affinity was water, so again; it made sense.

Tabitha had scored the jackpot in Louise's opinion; by summoning a blue wind Rhine Dragon, she called Silpheed. Tabitha was skilled in three elements: Wind, Water and Ice, so it was easy to see that her power had sought a being that complemented all three at once.

"Now then." Professor Jean Colbert spoke as he stood from examining Kirche's Salamander, "Has everyone summoned their Familiar?"

The busty redhead smirked cruelly as she said, "The Zero hasn't."

Immediately, all eyes turned to Louise, who shrank back slightly at the attention concentrated on her.

"What's the matter Zero, all bark and no bite after your little boasting session the other day?" Kirche taunted her, a slight vicious edge in her voice. "Oh, that's right -all that will happen is yet another explosion and nothing else!"

"Enough, Miss Zerbst." Colbert ordered before turning to Louise. "Now, Miss Vallière. Kindly begin the spell if you please."

Louise nodded before taking a breath. '_You can do this._' she told herself firmly. Releasing her breath, she raised her wand and channelled her willpower into it.

She ground her teeth together and narrowed her eyes. She would not fail, because it was not a choice. She had staked the last of her pride as a Noble and a Mage on this spell and she had to win. There were no ifs ands or buts about it.

"My name is Louise Françoise 'le Blanc' de la Vallière. Pentagon of the Five Elemental Magics, Heed my summoning... and bring forth...my familiar!"

An immense cloud of pulverised dirt, accompanied by a 'BOOM' immediately followed the slight flash from Louise's wand.

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**Kiyomizu Temple, Kyoto, Japan**

Saito opened his eyes to find himself in a Monk's cell, exactly as he had envisioned. He stealthily opened the door and peered out. The coast was clear. He opened the door fully and stepped out into the corridor checking both directions before setting off towards the back entrance.

'_Looks like Tsubaki-sempai's warning has made me ever so slightly jumpy._' Saito though wryly as he cautiously negotiated his way past an open door to what seemed like a dining hall. Strictly speaking, Saito didn't have to sneak through the temple. He could walk through it as if he belonged there because; technically he was a government employee.

The _Imperial _Government mind you, but government nevertheless.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he slipped out the rear entrance of the temple and started walking down the hill towards Kyoto-proper. Saito stopped abruptly when he saw a giant floating blue ball of light floating just outside of the temple's _kekkai_ barrier.

All temples and shrines possessed a spiritual barrier that protected the inhabitants and workers from magical attack, as well as being magically scryed and the occasional rogue demon attack. The fact that this magical -it _had_ to be magical as ordinary people couldn't see it- ball of light was floating _outside_ the barrier's boundary meant it was one of the three.

'_Well, an attacking spell would be battering the barrier and I don't recall a demon that's gone rogue that looked like that._' Saito considered. '_So that leaves a scrying spell. Except, what kind of idiot would make a spell intended for observation so large and easy to see? It defeats the entire purpose of the spell if someone sees the manifestation and dispels it._'

Saito thought for a moment, and then shrugged. If it was just a scrying spell, then it couldn't harm him. If it was a spell attacking the temple, all he had to do was avoid walking out right in front of the thing. And if it were a rogue demon…well, he'd burn that bridge if he came to it.

Saito deliberately moved away from the ball and exited the barrier a couple of meters away from the mysterious spell. He was in the middle of congratulating himself on avoiding the spell when something unexpected happened.

A crowd of monks in training slammed into Saito, crying out a chant as they struck themselves on the head with a fan, "DESIRES BE GONE, DESIRES BE GONE, DESIRES BE GONE!"

Saito was sent flying by the mass of running monks and landed bang-slap in the middle of the spell he had been trying to avoid. When he hit it, it felt like he had landed in a vat of treacle. He tried to fight his way out of it, but it felt like he was held in the hand of a giant. He was utterly unable to break free from the spell no matter how much he struggled.

With one last cry of frustrated anger, Hiiraga Saito vanished from his world, to where? Only the caster of the spell knew.

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**Courtyard, Tristain magic Academy, Halkaginia**

Coughing and spluttering, the second years gazed at the sight of Louis's latest explosion. It had been a big one this time, about a meter square and with the amount of dirt in the air; it was as if something had struck the ground at an incredible speed.

"Itai! Imaimashī bōsō saishi-tachi no gunshū!" came a voice from the cloud. Mr Colbert looked at Louise.

"Looks like you succeeded Miss Vallière." He remarked as he prepared to cast a light wind spell to remove the lingering cloud of dirt obscuring her familiar from sight.

"_**Sei Yo Ta!**_" Colbert called, slamming his stave on the ground and a gust of wind drove the cloud away, revealing Louise's Familiar. The pinkette looked on eagerly, anxious to see her familiar for the first time.

Kneeling in a crater was a boy who couldn't be any older than Louise could. He had medium length black hair and wore the oddest garments Louise had ever seen.

Just then, the boy looked up and locked eyes with Louise. His eyes were a warm brown that made Louise's heart skip a beat. Then he noticed the rest of the second years and Mr Colbert.

"Nani? Seiyō majutsu-shi?! (What the? Western Mages?)" The boy exclaimed drawing a piece of paper from his pocket.

"I don't recognise the language." Colbert said with a slight frown.

"Koko wa doko? Kotaete yo, majutsu-shi! (Where am I? Answer me, Mage!)" The boy yelled his eyes boring into Mr Colbert.

"I think he's confused as to where he is." Louise said hesitantly.

"Well then Miss Vallière, I think the best choice here would be for you to complete the familiar bonding ritual." Colbert advised her. "By magical law the one who summoned it must be the one to take care of it."

"But…he's human!" Louise protested, gesturing to the boy with her empty hand.

"Regardless, he is your responsibility." Colbert replied firmly.

Louise sagged in defeat. She had to complete the ritual. And _that _meant she had to…damn it!

Louise trudged over to the boy who had been looking between her and Mr Colbert with a look of frustrated incomprehension. '_Looks like he can't understand us either_' Louise thought miserably. If had only been they who had been unable to understand him, they could have cast a basic translation spell on him so his words would be translated into Halkaginian for those who heard it. However, because he was just as clueless about Halkaginian as they were about whatever language _he_ was speaking, the only spell that would work was the Familiar's Contract Binding Ritual.

"Nē, anata ga nani o shite iru?!(Hey, what're you doing?!)" The boy yelped as she raised her wand and pointed it at him.

"Pentagon of the Five Elemental Magics, grant your blessings upon this creature and bind it as my familiar!" Louise commanded. Her wand unleashed a pair of blue streamers that drew a pentagram around her and the boy who was to be her familiar. Eyes wide, the boy tried to back off, but was evidently paralyzed by the magic of the pentagram, which meant…She swung to face Colbert

"Professor Colbert, he's unwilling! The spell is paralyzing his body!" Louise called to her teacher.

"Oh get it over with already, Zero!" Kirche yelled, "He's only a commoner!"

"We don't know that, von Zerbst!" Louise retorted angrily, "And besides, it's one thing to bind animals, but a human? Especially an _unwilling _human at that!"

"I am forced to say that, unfortunately, Miss Zerbst is in the right here." Colbert admitted reluctantly, "Once a familiar is summoned, it must be bound by the Summoner, regardless of the summoned creature's level of sentience."

Louise sighed. "Very well. But let it be known that I disagree with this strongly."

"So noted." Colbert said formally.

Louise turned back to the boy who was struggling against the magic that bound him.

"Y..Yamette…Yamettecureru!(S..Stop…Stop this!)" He gasped out. Louise didn't know the language he was speaking, but she could tell he wanted her to stop.

"The choice isn't mine." She muttered to him, even though he couldn't understand her, "I hope you let me explain after you understand what I'm saying."

With no further ado, she stepped forward, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed him on the lips.

'_My first kiss…lost like this? My life is hell!_' she wailed in her mind, '_It does….feel nice though…._'

After she -{ahem}- disengaged from him and stepped back, nothing happened for a moment, before a yell of pain forced its way from the boy's mouth and steam rose from the back of his left hand as runes were burnt into his flesh by the magic.

The pentagram disappeared, releasing the boy from his paralysis. He fell to one knee and panted as he cradled his still smoking hand with the other.

Louise waited until the boy's panting abated somewhat before asking softly, "Can you understand me?"

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**Saito's POV**

"Can you understand me?" the pink-haired witch asked Saito softly.

Saito stared at her angrily. She had just damn well _branded_ him like cattle and she wanted to _talk_?

Saito's mind froze. He understood her. Whatever the hell this brand on his hand was, it must include something like a universal translator. Better reply to her before she did something _else_ that hurt.

Hesitantly, he nodded. She smiled at him in relief.

"That's good. I honestly don't know what we would have done if you still didn't understand Halkaginian after the Ritual."

"Ritual? You mean the branding thing?" Saito questioned, his eyes narrowing. "What did you _do_ to me?"

"You're my familiar now." The pink-hared girl informed him. "I didn't want to bind you because you were unwilling, but I had no choice."

"How _dare_ you!" Saito snarled at her, utterly furious at this dismissal of his rights as a human. She stepped back a step at his obvious anger.

"Now, Now. Calm down there son." Saito turned his head to see a balding man wearing glasses walk over to him. He had a feeling of quiet authority about him. A teacher, if Saito had to guess.

"Calm down? I've been made into a gods-damned _slave_!" Saito growled, waving his branded hand at the man, "Would _you_ be as calm in this situation? I think not."

The man regarded him solemnly for a moment. "This goes beyond pure personal outrage." he observed.

"Damn right it does!" Saito snapped back, "Where I come from, forcing a being to become your familiar is on the same level as enslavement! _Anyone_ found guilty of such an offence is stripped of their magic!"

A unified gasp of horror came from the students surrounding him. Evidently, these mages were unaccustomed to such a harsh punishment for anything, Saito noted.

"Where are you from anyway, commoner?" asked a tall busty redhead who strode over in a sultry fashion, making Saito's face light up with a blush.. He willed his face back to its normal colour as he replied.

"Japan. And what do you mean by commoner?" he asked curiously.

"Ja-pan?" The redhead asked with a frown, "Never heard of it."

"And she means that you can't use magic." Added a blond girl with ringlets added.

Saito raised an eyebrow. "Says who?"

The mages froze at that question. "So…you ARE a noble?" asked the redhead.

"Nope. No such thing as nobles anymore where I'm from." Saito replied, "But I can still use magic."

"Prove it!" challenged the redhead. Saito shrugged. "Sure. What do you want me to do?"

That stumped her for a moment before she smiled and whispered to a blond haired boy who was, oddly enough, carrying a rose of all things. The boy smirked and nodded. Holding his rose out, he flicked it once and let a single petal fall to the ground.

With a white glow, a single figure appeared. It was green, vaguely feminine and carried a spear.

"Destroy this Valkyrie and we'll believe that you are a noble." The redhead smirked at her ploy.

"Cease this at once!" the teacher ordered. Saito raised a hand, drawing the attention of the teacher.

"If it's not a problem, I'd like to attempt this." Saito requested politely. Inside, he was irked. He recognised the redhead's actions as a form of bullying and didn't like it. She expected him to fail and would then proceed to hold it over him. To judge by the looks his 'master' was throwing at the redhead, there was no love lost between the two of them.

"I...But you don't even have a wand or stave!" the teacher protested.

"A wand? Stave?" Saito gave the teacher a small smile, "I don't need either of those to use magic. I use these." He held up the talisman in his hand, forgotten until now.

"Parchment?" the teacher asked, confused.

"Talismans." Saito corrected, "I'm an Onmyoji, a mystic."

"A 'what' now?" his 'master' asked in confusion.

"Watch and learn." He replied with a grin.

The teacher sighed in resignation. "Very well. If you must do this, I suppose I will allow it."

He chivvied the students away from the target Valkyrie, not knowing anything about what type of magic the 'Onmyoji', as he called himself, would use.

Saito looked at the talisman he had drawn. A water talisman, good. He could really show that redhead what for with this. He closed his eyes, extended the talisman in front of him, and channelled his magic into it, stopping when he had enough for the spell he had in mind.

"_**Talisman of Water, come to my aid!**_" Saito said clearly and unhurriedly. He threw the talisman into the air above him and made a handsign.

"_**Shokan-ju! **__**Suiryū! (I summon you! Water Dragon!)**_" Saito called out.

With a roar, a serpentine dragon made entirely of water coalesced from the available water in the surrounding air, appeared above Saito, making the watching students step back in astonishment. It was at least eighteen-feet long and moved in a distinctly snake-like manner.

Saito smirked and made another handsign. "_**Suiryū Kōbaku! (Explosive Bite of the Water Dragon!)**_"

The dragon opened its mouth and spat a flurry of water balls at the Valkyrie, staggering the earth construct, but not destroying it. The dragon roared again and lunged at the golem, taking it in its vast maw and shredding it with sharp fangs and immense strength before dissipating with a final roar, dropping the shredded pieces of the Valkyrie to the ground.

The pink-haired girl who was his 'master' walked over to him in a daze. "What was that?" she asked in awe.

"My magic." Saito said simply. "By the way…"

"Yes?" she asked.

"What's your name?" Saito asked. She flushed in embarrassment.

"Me? I'm Louise. Louise Françoise de La Vallière." she replied.

"Nice to meet you Louise." Saito said, "My name is Hiiraga Saito. By the looks of things, we're going to be stuck together until I figure out a way to return to my home."

"Can't you just travel there by horse?" Louise asked, confused. Saito shook his head.

"Where I come from, we only have one moon." he replied, pointing at the sky where the twin moons were just barely visible.

Louise looked stunned. Her new familiar…was from another world.

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**Next Chapter: Duel!**

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**Authors Note: Special mention next chapter if you can name the two other anime/manga references in this chapter.**

**Read and review!**


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